


When The Time Comes

by Tamithna



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas, Christmas Presents, F/M, Fluff, Some angst, Tumblr: snksecretsanta, springles - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 19:07:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3084086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tamithna/pseuds/Tamithna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Connie has been saving all year to be able to buy Sasha a present but when the time comes and he has to give it to her, he chickens out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When The Time Comes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CericeBelle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CericeBelle/gifts).



> This is my [secretsantasnk](http://secretsantasnk.tumblr.com) gift for [cericebelle](http://cericebelle.tumblr.com) !  
> I'm so sorry this took so much time but I've been hopelessly busy this past days. I also apologize because I wasn't able to write you your preferred ships but we had a compatibility problem and this is was the only one we shared.  
> Oh, and this supposedly happened somewhere _after_ Eren and the old 104th trainee squad got accepted in the Scouting Legion and _before_ the Female Titan arch. And please assume that the soldiers in the SL get a salary (although very low) at the end of each month.  
>  I really hope you enjoy it and, as always, any feedback is appreciated! ｡◕‿◕｡

_Scouting Legion Headquarters_

_25th December_

 

The whole day had been a rush.

Commander Erwin decided to throw a small Christmas party, allowing the soldiers to relax a little bit.

However, Captain Levi would never allow them to do such thing without some heavy cleaning first, which meant dividing the soldiers in small teams: some would clean, others would prepare the food (and some sweets) and the others would tend the stables and do laundry. Unfortunately for Connie, he is on the cleaning team, under Levi's eagle eyes, alongside Jean, Eren and Ymir.

He had been scrubbing the same window for ten whole minutes before moving on to another one.

"Connie." Levi's voice breaks the silence, scaring them all, the other three secretly happy it weren't them being called.

"Yes sir!" Connie salutes with the wrong hand and still holding the wet rag, splashing dirty water all over his face and uniform. Ymir lets out a chuckle and Levi sends her a look that could freeze hell.

"You missed a spot on this window. Redo it."

Connie can almost hear his arm muscles protesting and he must have looked like a kicked puppy because Eren gets up from the floor he had been cleaning and salutes (correctly), before speaking up.

"Sir, it's Christmas, commander Erwin said we're supposed to take it easy. We're all exhausted, don't make Connie redo the whole window just because he missed a spot. Please."

If Connie had a hat, he would have taken it off for Eren in that moment. He hasn’t, so instead he smiles weakly at him.

Levi gets closer to Eren and stares up at him and it’s impressive how such a short man can intimidate four bigger and healthy teenagers. Connie thinks Levi is going to hit Eren or something by the way he is looking at the boy, but he surprises everyone by sighing, closing his eyes.

"You know what? You're right." he rubs his temples, suddenly looking very tired. "We've cleaned enough. Connie, Ymir, go see if they need help in the kitchen. Eren, Jean, go help the other team with whatever they're doing, I'll put away the cleaning supplies."

Relief washes over the young soldiers as they mumble quick thanks and hurry in different directions, leaving Levi alone with many buckets, dirty rags and cleaning products.

“So… Eren saved you ass.” Ymir places her arm around Connie’s shoulders with a smug smile in her face. “If you had to clean all the windows again you wouldn’t have finished in time to give Sasha her present.”

“What are you talking about?” The boy blushes, embarrassed, an unusual emotion for him, and tries to get away from Ymir only causing her grip on his shoulders to tighten.

“Oh, come on! You spoke with Jean of all people, do you really think he could have kept a secret?”

“That fucking asshole!” Connie’s hands balls up in fists. “I knew I couldn’t trust that idiot! What, don’t tell me Sasha already knows too?”

“Of course not! We were careful; Jean told Armin, Armin told Mikasa and Eren, Mikasa told Krista, which told me, and I kind of let it slip to Bert and Reiner. Sasha doesn’t know a thing I can guarantee it.”

“If she ends up knowing already, I’ll beat your sorry asses.”

“Yeah, good luck with that. I would love to see you face Mikasa. But trust me, she doesn’t know.”

“Shut up Ymir, why did you bring up that subject then?”

”Because we don’t know what you’re going to give her and we may have been betting about it.” Ymir lets go of Connie to rest her arms behind her head, grin still on. “You’re going to give ol’ Ymir a hint aren’t you?”

“Forget it.” Connie buries his hands on his pockets. “Do you think it’s funny to bet using other people’s lives?”

Ymir looks at him with a deadpan expression.

“You’re kidding right? You’re the one who always suggests the bets. Remember that time where you risked your whole dinner in that Jean couldn’t ask Mikasa out?”

“Well, yeah…”

“And you ended up sharing Reiner’s food because you lost it.”

“You don’t have to remind me. What can I say, Jean proved to be more courageous than I thought.”

“Sure, now give me a hint.” Ymir slows down as they approach the kitchen. Lively chatter and tableware clutter can already be heard.

“Forget it Ymir, I won’t tell you. It’s something personal.”

“You baldy, I need the money.” She sighs, looking a bit defeated.

“Money? You guys are betting money on this?” Connie stops, looking astonished. Money is such a rare thing between the younger soldiers that they usually bet using essential stuff like food, soap or new underwear.

“Yeah, it was Reiner’s idea since we’re receiving a bit more due to the holidays.”

“I can’t believe you.” The boy shakes his head in disbelief and laughs. “And why do you need the money?”

Ymir’s cheeks turn bright pink, her freckles turning even more visible. She looks to the side and scratches her neck.

“Well, I, huh, I really can’t tell you.” She quickly recovers her composure and frowns. “Come on, you shitty friend! Just tell me what you are going to give her, no one needs to know!”

Before Connie can even laugh at her reaction, Bert comes out of the kitchen wearing a big white apron and a very confused expression.

“Guys? What are you doing here, weren’t you supposed to be with Captain Levi?”

“He let us go early and sent us here to help you.” Connie says, ignoring Ymir’s death glare.

Bert seems completely oblivious to their mood and smiles softly.

“Great! We actually need help, count on Mikasa to slay titans but she cannot cook at all and she keeps scowling at whoever tries to tell her that.”

Nodding, both Connie and Ymir follow the tall soldier into the kitchen, finding not only a very angry Mikasa desperately trying to cook but also a very entertained Hanji causing more ruckus than helping out.

 

★★★

 

After a whole afternoon in the kitchen, both trying to fix the mess Squad Leader Hanji and Mikasa were doing and escaping Ymir’s “friendly” chats, Connie is even more tired than he was when he left Levi’s cleaning team.

The sun is already down when they manage to place various tables together and set them with clean white old sheets making their turn as tablecloths. A very proud Sasha brings the food to the room where they usually have meals with the help of the other soldiers, and everyone takes a seat, beginning the small gathering.

Commander Erwin, sitting at the head of the table, makes a brief speech about how lucky they are to have survived almost another whole year. After the initial tension, they begin to relax, as they appreciate the rare meat on their plates.

“Bless the walls, Sasha you can really cook!” Jean almost moans when he brings a fork full of food to his mouth.

“I used to cook all the time when I lived with my father! And we had meat for every meal!”

“I find that hard to believe.” Ymir scrunches up her nose in disbelief, earning a disapproving look from Christa.

“But it’s not! We were hunters, we were the ones who collected our own food. I learned to use arrows and a bow when I was four years old!” Sasha widens her eyes at Ymir, her ponytail bouncing up and down with her excitement.

“That’s not so hard to believe actually, I’ve read about villages where everyone hunts, others where everyone plants their food. Sasha must be from one of the hunter towns villages, the most famous being Dauper.” Armin smiles softly and every head at the table turns to him.

“Yeah, that’s where I’m from!”

“Well, if Armin says so it must be true.” Eren flicks the blond boy’s ears with affection. “But Jean, for once, is right, you can really cook Sasha.”

“Shut up Jaeger.”

“Eren.” Mikasa adjusts her scarf. “If you like the food so much you can have mine.” she pushes her plate in Eren’s direction.

“Ackerman, stop doing everything for the kid and eat your damn food.” Levi intervenes in their conversation and Eren chokes in his meat, startling Bert, who slaps his back, trying to help. Erwin sends a reproachful stare to the Captain.

“Yes sir.” Mikasa retrieves her plate, sounding bittersweet.

“Connie, what’s up man? You’re unusually quiet.” Reiner looks at the boy, who is playing with his fork.

“Nothing, I’m not really hungry.” his stomach twists and his hands tremble with nerves.

“Maybe you’re sick! Let’s head down and make some experiments!” Hanji shouts from their place at Commander’s side, interrupting Mike who was talking. Nanaba sighs in exasperation and places a hand in Hanji’s shoulder, trying to make them calm down.

“No one is going to do experiments today.” Erwin says, and everyone falls quiet. “Connie, if you’re not feeling well, you’re free to leave and go rest for the day.”

“Yes sir, thank you sir.” Connie stands up under the concerned faces of his companions and salutes. "Merry Christmas."

“Merry Christmas.” Everyone answers him in a collective mumble and he leaves the room for the boy’s quarters.

He should have known it was impossible for him to say something like that to Sasha, it was too big of a commitment. He buries his hands in his pockets, his fingers brushing the small gift box.

The room is dark when he arrives and he’s feeling tired so he lights only one candle. He takes off all of his gear before slipping into his sleep clothing, and dropping in his bed, defeated. The small box is still grasped on his hand and he wonders what to do with it.

Connie is not really sure of when he falls asleep but the next thing he knows, someone is knocking at the door.

“Connie?” Sasha’s voice echoes through the room before she enters it.

“Sash? What are you doing here?”

“Well, I thought it was bad someone going to sleep without eating so I brought you some leftovers.” She raises a plate half empty with food. “Sorry, I kinda ate some of it on my way here. There’s still cake too, and you missed Captain’s face when everyone just started singing happy birthday to him, it was priceless.”

“Oh damn, I really wanted to see his reaction.” Connie laughs, sitting straight on his bed, making space for Sasha. He takes the plate from her as she sits down. “Are they still upstairs?”

“Yep, somehow Hanji convinced Commander to let us drink some alcohol and it got a little out of control when Jean challenged Eren to a drinking contest. I didn’t drink any though, that tastes bad.”

“Oh I can’t believe I’m missing all the fun, what happened?”

“They both got drunk immediately but I guess it’s okay because everyone is a bit tipsy. But Jean passed out on one of the tables after trying to make out with Armin and Mikasa at the same time, Christa and Ymir disappeared from sight, oh and so did Bert and Reiner. Eren is desperately trying to hump Captain and I’m pretty sure he isn’t exactly minding.”

Connie lets out a snort and grins at his best friend.

“Are you kidding me? And you came here looking for me, while you could be making fun of everyone?”

“Of course, I was worried and I got bored of stealing food. You know, it really isn’t fun when there isn’t someone to try and stop you.”

“Thanks Sash.” They stay silent while Connie eats the semi cold food.

“Hey Connie, what’s this?” Sasha bends and picks up something from the floor, making the boy spit the remains of the food, trying to grab the box Sasha is holding in her hand. It probably fell from his hand when he fell asleep.

“It’s nothing, give it back please!”

“Ohohoh, if it’s nothing then why are you blushing like crazy?” her eyes glint with amusement and she gets away from the bed before Connie can reach her.

“Damnit Sasha! Give it back!” He leaves the bed in a rush, almost smashing the now empty plate. However, the girl is more agile than he is, easily hopping up Armin’s bed.

“No way, I’ve never seen you blushing like that since the _incident_ , I need to know what this is.” She holds the little box above her head, knowing the smaller boy will never reach it.

“Don’t talk about _that_!” Connie cries out, desperately trying to reach the girl. “Sash, please, I’ll give you my lunch and my dinner tomorrow, just give it back!”

“Nope, this is way more important than food.” She laughs, jumping to another bed, this time Jean’s. “Now let’s see what this is!”

“Sasha!” Connie pleads one last time but his girlfriend is already opening the little blue box. Sasha’s laughing face drops into a frown after she gets a glance at what’s inside and Connie tries to find a hole to hide himself. There isn’t one so he just seats down in Jean’s bed, hiding his face in his hands.

“Connie, what’s this?” she drops to her knees, setting down next to the very embarrassed boy. Her hands hold the box much more carefully now.

“It’s for you! I bought it for you!” Still not being able to face the girl, he looks at the floor. “I tried to buy it in time for your birthday months ago but I wasn’t able to afford it at that time so I thought I could give it to you on Christmas.”

“Why didn’t you then?”

“Because I’m a coward, that’s why!”

Sasha remains silent and she finally removes the present from its package. The delicate silver ring sparkles at the light of the only lit candle. There’s a leather string attached to it with a cow hitch knot so it can be worn as a necklace.

“But we’ve been dating since our trainee days, why all this? You could just have given it to me.” Sasha caresses Connie’s head softly, trying to make him look at her, her other hand cautiously holding the ring.

“Because I was supposed to ask you something right after giving it to you.” A glint of realization flashes through Sasha’s expression and Connie finally glances at her, feeling miserable.

“Connie, you… we…”

“I know we’re young Sash, I know we’re not even adults yet! But there’s absolutely no way to know how long we’re going to survive, we’re soldiers, we offered our damn hearts to humanity! I just wanted you to have at least a small piece of mine.”

“I… Oh Connie, you’re asking _me_ to marry you?” Sasha grabs the boy’s hand, as his cheeks turn even redder.

“Well, y-you don’t have to put it that way, it’s too hasty. I j-just want to be together with you and maybe if we have the chance, yeah, I would like to ask you to marry me.”

Sasha looks away, a blush creeping up her ears, and puts the string with the ring around her neck.

“I’ve already accepted the tiny piece of heart you have to me, you know that.”

Connie smiles, a relieved sigh leaving him as he gently embraces the girl in front of him, stroking her messy hair softly. She returns the hug, burying her face in the crook of his collarbones.

“I do know. I guess I’ll have to buy a matching ring for me, huh? Another year of saving money.”

“I’ll help out.” her voice sounds muffled but Connie can hear that she’s smiling against him. “And Connie?”

“Hm?”

“When the time comes, I’ll definitely say yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ahaha, yeah... this is so short...  
> The ring Connie gave Sasha is like [this](https://img0.etsystatic.com/000/0/5462852/il_570xN.337655196.jpg) one.  
> Anyway, have any comment, question or suggestion? Drop me a message [here](http://ackermenn.tumblr.com) on my tumblr.  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
